Monthly reading review – January 2018

This January I have read:

The Scoundrel Takes a Bride (Regency Rogues #5) by Stefanie Sloane ★★

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman ★★★

A Test of Mettle (The Iron Druid Chronicles #3.5) by Kevin Hearne ★★★★

A Prelude to War (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7.5) by Kevin Hearne ★★★★

Three Slices by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson and Chuck Wendig ★★★★

Taurus by Božica Dragaš ★★★

The Shab-al-Hiri Roach by Jason Morningstar ★★★

1. How many books you’ve read last month? Are you happy with the amount you read?

In January I have read six books in total. I have decided leave the short story from one of them out of the count. I would like to read a bit more in general and get the number of books I read in a month closer to ten.

2. What was the best of all the books you’ve read in January? Any scenes or characters that made a lasting impression?

I loved getting back to The Iron Druid Chronicles in the form of short stories and they were the highlight of my reading in January. The Shab-al-Hiri Roach has given me some food for thought in January as well.

3. Were there any not so good books for you last month? What made it hard or not enjoyable to read?

The historical romance The Scoundrel Takes a Bride did not impress me much. I guess I was not in the mood for romance books this January.

4. How did the books you were reading last month fit in your reading plans if you had any?

Only planned reading I did was finishing The Golden Compass from December and reading the Taurus book for my book club meeting at the start of February.  The rest of the books, excluding the TBR Jar Draw The Shab-al-Hiri Roach were not planned.

5. Any updates on the series you are reading or are you starting any new series?

Technically I tried out three new series: His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman, Blud short story by Delilah S. Dawson and Miriam Black short story by Chuck Wendig.

6. Would you like to recommend any books or authors you’ve been reading this last month?

This January recommendation goes for Kevin Hearne and Iron Druid Chronicles. I enjoy the stories from the world of Iron Druid a lot and hope to continue reading the next book soon.

Final thoughts on January reading

I have posted three book reviews in January:

The Scoundrel Takes a Bride (Regency Rogues #5) by Stefanie Sloane ★★ – REVIEW

Three Slices by Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson and Chuck Wendig ★★★★ – REVIEW

The Shab-al-Hiri Roach by Jason Morningstar ★★★ – REVIEW

I am still reading A Man for Himself: An Inquiry into the Psychology of Ethics by Erich Fromm and I am slowly trudging on with Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades, #3) by E.L. James. I am having trouble with it and hope to finish it by the time the movie comes out.

I have yet to do the TBR Jar Draw for February and start on the other book for my book club reading in February which is Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

TBR Jar Draw December 2017

First a little update for those who don’t know what my TBR Jar Draw is about. Somewhere at the start of last year I have decided to try and read more of the books I already own. Out of my TBR (To Be Read) pile of books on Goodreads I have selected some of the books I own and wrote the titles on little pieces of paper each. Once a month I draw three titles from the jar and decide to read one of them. This gives me a reason to go trough my bookshelves and find the titles I might have overlooked or forgot about. Here is the link to the post from March 2017 that got me started –> TBR Jar Draw 

 

I have finally finished reading The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman. While I stated reading it somewhere around Christmas I did not do much reading up until the start of January. It took me longer than I expected and has left an impression on me. I will definetly post a review on it soon.

The two draws I have not read are going back in the jar:

# The Age of Odin (Pantheon #3) by James Lovegrove

# Master of Chains (Forgotten Realms: The Fighters, #1) by Jess Lebow

My three new TBR Jar draws are as follows:

1# Angel Souls and Devil Hearts (Shadow Saga #2) by Christopher Golden

This is the second time I’ve drawn Angel Souls and Devil Hearts. Described as the Epic Vampire Saga I have read the first book from this series quite a long time ago. What I remember of it is dark and gritty scenes and some come to haunt me in the middle of the night to this day. Contrary to that I am still interested in reading this series trough. I am still not that enthusiastic to start on it.

2# The Scoundrel Takes a Bride (Regency Rogues #5) by Stepfanie Sloane

I got this book as a gift along with one other from the same historical romance genre. While I’ve read the other one this one was left behind. It actually seems like a good choice at this moment since I feel like reading a romance novel…

3# Carniepunk by Rachel Caine and various authors

I have mentioned this book before. It is a short story collection from some of the authors I already love and follow. I love reading short story collections since they let me meet fascinating new authors and discover new worlds. Thematically this short story collection is about carnivals and would have been a nice October read. I am very pleased with this drawing.

Reading in progress December 2017

This December I’m counting down how many books I’m behind on my reading goals for GR and how did I do for this year in general. I’m barely half trough my reading goal and I’ve made my peace with the fact that I will not complete my GR reading goal. This year was not a good reading year for me. Some big changes happened and I had trouble copping. Out of 100 book goal I read only 52 so far. For now I’m making myself busy with reading more books at the same time this December.

Here are the books I am reading at the moment:

Sweet Ruin (Immortals After Dark, #16) by Kresley Cole

This book is one of the more recent additions to my collection from this summer. I actually started reading it only because I am really looking forward to the book Shadow’s Seduction that is the next one in the Immortals After Dark book series. I’m halfway trough and I did not expect to enjoy it this much. There are some cringe worthy phrasing but I’m having fun reading this book and that is all that matters for me right now. Hopefully I will make a book review on this one soon.

Kings Rising (Captive Prince, #3) by C.S. Pacat

Not that long ago I’ve devoured the first two books of this trilogy. I had some problems getting the third book. I went trough first two books at a fast pace and now I had some trouble getting into the third book. I’m halfway trough and this is a very suspenseful book.

A Man for Himself: An Inquiry into the Psychology of Ethics by Erich Fromm

I’m taking my time with this book. It takes concentration and I’m trying to savor some thoughts while I evaluate the meaning they carry. So far most of this book can be used as motivational/demotivational quotes one can find across the Internet. Contempalting and meditating required.

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman

This month’s TBR Draw has been on my reading list for a few years now. I put it on the pile with the other books I’m reading this month but have barely openned it so far. I’m kinda apprehensive about starting this book since I will probably want to finish off the whole trilogy right away.

Aside from the books above that I’ve already started here are some books I’m planning to squeeze in my reading this December as well:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia (Publication Order) #1) by C.S. Lewis

This is actually one of the books for my book club! I’m looking forward to it and at the same time I’m thinking about how could I add other books from the series to my TBR. I just hope mix the movies or the TV series with the books too much…

Shadow’s Seduction (Immortals After Dark, #17; The Dacians, #2) by Kresley Cole

While I did not expect to enjoy Sweet Ruin as much as I’m hoping to enjoy this one I really want to read Shadow’s Seduction by the end of the year! Immortals After Dark book series brings me joy and I love reading this series. The reason I’m soo looking forward to this books is  that one of my favorite characters of all time is in it!

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

This is the last book I’ve bought! I waited for the super fancy Croatian edition to come out. Croatian edition one the right in the picture glows in the dark and has a custom box. This edition is the first book from a new publisher and they are trying to set some new standards in the publishing industry by creating a really beautiful book editions. Every book is numbered and they are published in a limited quantity. This book is like a delicate piece of art to be enjoyed on more than one level!

The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3) by Rick Riordan

This book goes in hand with Norse Mythology. I’m not sure if this series is meant to be just a trilogy and if that is so this could be the last book! I’ve loved Magnus since his first book and hope to read more books about him.

The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) by Rick Riordan

Thematicaly I wish to finish this years reading in fun and adventure. While not so high on my reading list by the end of the year; this book will be a perfect fit for my reading repertoire. Festus and Leo making an appearance is an added bonus!